Understanding Terrorism

Challenges, Perspectives, and Issues

• A new introduction to nationalism and sociological explanations of terrorism explains the importance of understanding nationalist sentiment as a reason for political violence.
• Expanded discussions include nationalism activism, scapegoating tactics, and the use of social media by terrorist networks.
• New examinations cover asymmetrical warfare, characteristics of right-wing terrorists and the terrorist right in the new era, and terrorist attacks against the United States.
• New movements are added, including Boko Haram’s use of child soldiers and female suicide bombers, radical socialism, the use of gender-selective terrorism within ISIS, and stochastic terrorism.
• Contemporary events are added, including the Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. election, the shooting at the Tree of Life synagogue, and 2019 Easter Sunday suicide bombings in Sri Lanka.
• A new introduction to historical perspectives on terrorism clarifies the historical scope of violence.
• Chapter objectives are summarized at the beginning of each discussion using Bloom’s taxonomy.
• Updated tables and figures are introduced and discussed within the body of the text, creating a deeper understanding of concepts for students.

KEY FEATURES:

• Opening Viewpoints boxes grab readers’ attention by presenting relevant examples of theories and themes discussed in the upcoming chapter.
• Chapters incorporate focused presentations in special interest boxes that explore people, events, organizations, and movements that are relevant to the content.
• Each chapter concludes with Discussion Boxes that highlight controversial issues and pose challenging questions to stimulate critical thinking and debate.
• A variety of photos, charts, graphs, and maps help students appreciate and understand the events and people covered in the book.